When Montcalm finally grasped what had happened, the only possible explanation that came to him was that God himself had intervened to preserve His Most Christian Majesty's dominions in North America.  In late August he ordered a huge red cross to be raised on the hilltop above the abatis where Abercromby's troops had poured out their lives for nothing.  On the cross Montcalm directed that a Latin couplet of his own composition be inscribed, along with its paraphrase:

​Chretien!  Ce ne fut point Montcalm et la prudence,      Ces arbres renversė, ce hėros, leur exploits, Qui des Anglais confus ont brisė l'espėrance;      C'est le bras de ton Dieu, vainqueur sur cette croix. Christian, behold!  Not all the care that Montcalm took,      Nor this fearsome abatis, nor all our heroes' feats Have stunned the English here, have shattered all their hopes; ​     Instead the arm of God prevailed, the victor of this cross.

Finally there is a chapter that reads more like a narrative and not just a collection of facts and figures with the presumption of previous knowledge.  This, the latest chapter in The First World War, describes the war.  It brings the situation to light, describing the battlefield scenes that everyday soldiers witnessed.  It is much easier to follow. For example, a Russian officer wrote: The scene on the German side of the border was...frightening.  For miles, haystacks, and barns were burning...Like every army under the sun, we looted and destroyed, and later hated to admit it.

There has never been such a war as this, and never be will be again - waged with such bestial fury.

On the same day refugees arrived in Berlin with reports 'of heads being cut off, children being burned, women raped'...

More than half of them were prisoners of war.  And that was true for the war as a whole, not just for the summer of 1915.  In a major action on the western front casualties normally divided one-third dead, one-third would and one-third captured, and averaged over the war as a whole, the proportion of prisoners of war in relation to total losses was much smaller.

'We slowly creep towards the sheer cliffs of Mount Čakor, step by step on the compacted snow,' Josip Jeras wrote in his diary, 'On either side of the road refugees are resting.  Immobilized by the snow their heads are glued to their breasts.  The white snowflakes dance around them while the alpine winds whistle their songs of death.  The heads of horses and oxen which have fallen off the path protrude from the snow.'  Following narrow tracks, rising to 3,000 feet, and with the temperature dropping to -20 [degrees], the Serbs struggled through snowdrifts and across ice to reach the Adriatic.  A hundred and forty thousand got there and were taken off by Entente vessels to Corfu, and thence to Salonika.  Of an original strength of 420,000 men in September, some 94,000 had been killed or wounded in action and a further 174,000 were captured or missing.  Civilian deaths have not been calculated.

I have finally arrived at the point in Fred Anderson's account of the French and Indian War where the Battle of Fort Carillon occurs.  This is the 1758 skirmish in which the English attempted to overcome Fort Carillon (called by the British, Ticonderoga); it is also the battle that will be reenacted at the fort when I arrive later this summer.  Anderson explains some of the different tactics that have evolved in the strategies and fighting methods implemented in this part of the war: By 1758 regular infantrymen were being trained in "bush fighting" tactics, learning how to move through the woods in single file, fight in a spread-out single rank or in loose order as skirmishers, avoid bunching up when attacked, and take cover when the command "Tree all!" rang out on the march...As the campaigns of 1758 began, troops lopped the long tails off their coats to keep them from tangling in brush; discarded regimental lace; carried spar powder in cow horns to supplement the cartridges in their cartouche boxes; trimmed back the brims on their hats and wore them slouched rather than wearing it in queues.

By noon on Thursday eight regular battalions - about seven thousand men - drawn up opposite the breastwork in battle order and readied for a frontal assault.  Six thousand provincials formed the reserve.  The army's heavy siege artillery...remained parked near the landing place, four miles away...Four field guns - three six-pounders and a howitzer - were loaded on rafts and towed down the Rivière de la Chûte, to be landed near the base of Mount Defiance.  These wer to be dragged up the hill, from which they could fire down on the rear of the French lines.  The British infantry would attack when the battery opened fire.

Unfortunately for the men drawn up to make the attack, the planned cannonade never began.  The towboat crews overshot the place where they should have landed, and drifted within range of the cannon on the southwest bastion of Fort Carillon.  The fort's gunners, noticing what was afoot, fired on the British boats.

In all likelihood it was the sound of French cannon shelling the rafts that caused the British troops to advance...According to a lieutenant in the Highland..."The abatis...was what gave them the fatal advantage over us."  The entangled branches of its "monstrous large fir and oak trees...not only broke our ranks, and made it impossible to us to keep our order, but...put it entirely out of our power to advance briskly; which gave the enemy abundance of time to mow us down like a field of corn, with their wall pieces and small arms, before we fired a single shot."

...At least 551 redcoats and provincials died and more than thirteen hundred were wounded trying to come to grips with the thirty-six hundred well-protected French and Canadian troops who methodically cut them to shreds.  The Battle of Ticonderoga, as the Anglo-Americans called it, was the heaviest loss of life that His Majesty's forces sustained during the whole American war.  It was, in fact, the bloodiest day the British army would see in North America until the Battle of New Orleans in 1815.  The French, by contrast, suffered a total of 377 casualties.

​Montcalm expected that the British would renew the attack the next morning, and was surprised when they did not...[H]e waited until Saturday before sending out a reconnaissance party to see what had become of the enemy.  What they found - "wounded [men], provisions, abandoned equipment, shoes left in miry places, remains of barges and burned pontoons" - was evidence of the panic that had gripped Abercromby's defeated force...By dawn the greatest army Britain had ever assembled in North America was rowing frantically for the other end of Lake George, fleeing an enemy that it still outnumbered by more than three to one...

In Constantinople, capital of the Ottoman Empire, the Sheikh-ul-Islam declared an Islamic holy war against Britain, France, Russian, Serbia, and Montenegro on 14 November 1914.  He spoke on behalf of the Caliphate, a combination of spiritual and temporal authority claimed by the Sultan, and justified by the fact that the holy cities of Mecca and Medina fell within the purlieus of his rule.  But the reach of the Ottoman Empire, which at its height in the sixteenth century had extended from the Persian Gulf to Poland, and from Cairo to the gates of Vienna, was contracting.  In 1914, of 270 million Muslims in the world in 1914 [sic], only about 30 million were under French rule, most of them in North and Equatorial Africa; and another 20 million were incorporated in Russia's Asian empire.  Those Muslims in the British, French and Russian empires who opposed the Ottoman Empire's summons to holy war were promised 'the fire of hell'.  The Muslims in Serbia and Montenegro, who were likely to commit the lesser offence of fighting Austria-Hungary, would merit only 'painful torment'.

Moltke's problem was that the German army and German weapons were all fully committed to the war in Europe.  He had no rifles he could send to those who might rise against British, French or Russian rule, and certainly no troops.  And, even if he had them, British naval supremacy meant that he could not send them by sea.  The Ottoman Empire could confer two strategic benefits on Germany:  its army could provide the troops for overseas deployment and its land mass could open the overland routes to Central Asia and Africa.

...The American consul in Erzurum, Leslie Davis, reported from Kharput, the principal transit point, in July that 'The Turks have already chosen the most pretty from among the children and young girls.  They will serve as slaves, if they do not serve ends that are more vile'.  He was struck by how few men he could see, and concluded that they had been killed on the road.  Many thousands of Armenians also succumbed to famine and disease.  Mortality among the 200,000 to 300,000 who fled to the comparative safety of Russia rose to perhaps 50 per cent, thanks to cholera, dysentery and typhus...

...The differences from the western front were were the products of the terrain and the climate.  The narrow and steep foothold on the shore meant that the positions had little depth, and that the only relief was to go for a swim in the sea.  But the heat that made that an attractive option also brought flies and then disease, particularly dysentery; water supplies were a constant headache.  Only 30 per cent of British casualties in the campaign were sustained in battle.

(LIBERTY) BELL WORK

How many candles would be on Montcalm's cake, ​this year? Birthday:  February 28, 1712

How many words can you make from the letters in his name? L O U I S - J O S E P H     D E     M O N T C A L M

Do the Math ​Find the sum of the letters of his name, using the scale below. ​A = $.01, B = $.02, C = $.03, D = $.04, E = $.05, F = $.06, G = $.7, H =  $.08, I = $.09, J = $.10, K = $.11, L = $.12, M = $.13, N = $.14, O = $.15, P = $.16, Q = $.17, R = $.18, S = $.19, T = $.20, U = $.21, V = $.22, W = $.23, X = $.24, Y = $.25, Z = $.26 Quick Write:  What are some things you have to "guard" yourself against?

On Target Write the target number in the "bull's eye". In the 20 other open sections of the target, write equations to equal the target number. Today's number is 8. For example, if the target number is 36, the student may write expressions like the ones here (right): 6 squared 2 x 18 3 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 72/2 3 x 3 x 4

Mood Music Allow the military marches of the French Royal Army to transport you into a scene that has yet to be written.  Draw the scene as you listen.  Then write, using all the visual imagery you can muster.

Art Appreciation I Observe the unique painting above. What do you notice? What do you wonder? What is happening? Write your thoughts.

It must have been a frightening prospect - sitting in Britain in 1939, awaiting a German air attack.  World War II was upon the people of England, and they knew the fight would come to their home soil. The government, in an attempt to encourage British citizenry, created and distributed the now-famous Keep Calm and Carry On posters.  During the war and the reconstruction time to follow the war, variations of the posters continued to inspire the people to persevere. The posters have nothing to do with the French and Indian War of the 1750s, but as we introduce America's Fort, today, I thought of those posters.

Why?  Because when the French were battling the English in the Lake Champlain region of Upstate New York and Vermont, the French built a stone fortress to keep guard of the strategic lake from English troops descending Lake George.  They named it Fort Carillon (pronounced something like Carry On​) because of the sound of the water descending through the La Chute River resembling the sounds of a bell tower, or a carillon. So why don't we have a little fun with the pronunciation and make our own positive, motivational posters.  What will yours say?  Keep _____ and Carry On.  What insignia will you place at the top instead of the Tudor Crown?

A Star Is Born The bastion fort, or star-shaped forts became popular in Europe in the mid 15th century.  The shape was meant to assist in the defense of the fort by allowing for the optimal use of cannon and mortar. Fort Carillon was built at Lake Champlain for the same reason.  Another, Fort Wood, constructed on Liberty Island in New York City, was repurposed to provide the foundation for the Statue of Liberty.  Fort Wood was built to defend our young nation from British invasion in the early 1800s.

Art Appreciation II Observe the unique painting below. What do you notice? What do you wonder? What is happening? Write your thoughts.

Outnumbered The Battle of Carillon began on July 8, 1758, with some 16,000 British troops attacking the 4,000 French soldiers.  Louis-Joseph de Montcalm successfully defended the fort even against such unbalanced odds.  He did so partially through the use of abatis (See the video here for more clarity about the battle.).

To Abatis and Beyond The Geometry of Defense File Size: 32222 kb File Type: docx Download File Think you could get through the abatis?  Try an activity in class to safely make your way through the obstacle. Remember, the opposing army is rooting against you, but there is no turning back.  The king of England is counting on you to take this important fortress from the French.

Montcalm's Cross

Following the Battle of Carillon, the Marquis de Montcalm raised a cross inscribed with the message and its rough English translation seen here (below). He took no credit for the victory and gave no credit to his strategy or his men. Instead, he credited his God, demonstrating that the French and Indian War was not only a war for territory, but that it was also a religious war of ideals. Chretien!  Ce ne fut point Montcalm et la prudence, Ces arbres renversė, ce hėros, leur exploits, Qui des Anglais confus ont brisė l'espėrance; C'est le bras de ton Dieu, vainqueur sur cette croix. Christian, behold!  Not all the care than Montcalm took, Nor this fearsome abatis, nor all our heroes' feats Have stunned the English here, have shattered all their hopes; ​Instead the arm of God prevailed, the victor of this cross.

Where the Waters Meet A year after the Battle of Carillon, the British were finally ready to take the fort.  The 400 Frenchmen remaining in the fort would be no match for the 11,000-man British force.  This short-lived 1759 event is called the Battle of Ticonderoga (Ticonderoga means "where the waters meet".). As the French withdrew, they desired to make the fort as useless as possible for the English.  Before they left, the French spiked and dumped the cannons and used explosives to destroy the fort as much as possible.  The fort was still in ruins in 1777, when American soldiers would capture it from British control during the Revolution (something we will hear more about later in the school year).

Through the leadership of Stephen Pell, the fort was restored during the years between the two world wars and is now presented to visitors as a fine representation of the history of our nation.

In America, we celebrate democracy and are justifiably proud that this nation was founded on the idea that the people should rule.
​
That’s why it is so important that Americans be informed about their government. They are partakers in it. In fact, they control it...

...Unfortunately, we are not very well-informed.

• Seventy-two percent of respondents either incorrectly identified or were unsure of which states were part of the 13 original states;
• Only 24 percent could correctly identify one thing Benjamin Franklin was famous for, with 37 percent believing he invented the lightbulb;
• Only 24 percent knew the correct answer as to why the colonists fought the British;
• Twelve percent incorrectly thought WWII General Dwight Eisenhower led troops in the Civil War; 6 percent thought he was a Vietnam War general; and
• While most knew the cause of the Cold War, 2 percent said climate change.

We don’t want to become trapped by the past, but we do want to learn from it in order to avoid repeating past mistakes and build a better future. As citizens, knowledge of the past and of civics is crucial. Lacking such knowledge is unhealthy for a free country, and even dangerous, given how bad political life can become.

I have referred to the French and Indian War as the first world war a few times since last summer's Teacher Institute at Mount Vernon, but I had not fully understood the depth of that statement until reading more about the motivations and methods employed by the players at the time.  In Fred Anderson's volume about the war, The War that Made America, he discusses more of the narrative.  Anderson begins putting the pieces together, making the case that the French and Indian War was truly a global event. But first, since I will participate in Fort Ticonderoga's Teacher Institute this summer, I was interested in reading about the building of the fort by Frenchmen in an effort to block the enemy from effectively using Lake George to access Lake Champlain going north, as well as establishing a command center for sending troops south to New England.

...Johnson's men were too shocked and demoralized by the battle to pursue the enemy, who regrouped at Crown Point and then set out to build a new fort at the foot of Lake George, on the promontory of Ticonderoga.  For Carillon, as they called it, would become both the main obstacle on the Lake Champlain invasion route and a base for raids against the New England frontier.

France, meanwhile, was prepared to fight a war that, its leaders believed, would consist mainly of actions against Britain's man source of commercial strength, its empire.  There was no real intention to use the troops stationed in Brittany and Normandy to invade England, only to tie down Royal Navy and army units in coastal defense, making it safer and easier to attach British overseas possessions in North America and the Caribbean, and perhaps to seize the British East India Company's trading factories at Calcutta and Madras.  Chances seemed excellent that a weakened Britain would beg for peace in three or at most four years' time.

The explosion of a general war in Europe destroyed France's plans for a limited Anglo-French confrontation beyond the seas.  All the preparation that Versailles had done could do nothing to control the direction of events.  As 1756 ended and 1757 began, the gathering momentum of a general war in Europe preoccupied government leaders in France and Britain alike, while the war in North America proceeded according to a violent logic of its own.

From the author's website: Norah Levy has just completed two years of treatment for leukemia and is ready to go back to the “real world” of middle school. She knows it’ll be tricky–but like the Greek mythological characters she read about while she was sick, Norah’s up for any challenge. ​ But seventh grade turns out to be trickier than she thought. Norah’s classmates don’t know what to make of her. Her best friend, Harper, tries to be there for her, but she doesn’t get it, really—and is hanging out with a new group of girls. Norah’s other good friend, Silas, is avoiding her. What’s that about, anyway? When Norah is placed with the eighth graders for math and science she meets Griffin, a cute boy who encourages her love of Greek mythology and art. And Norah decides not to tell him her secret—that she was “that girl” who had cancer. But when something happens to make secret-keeping impossible, Norah must figure out a way to share her cancer story.

But how do you explain something to others that you can’t explain to yourself? Can Norah take her cue from her favorite Greek myth? And then, once she finds the words, can she move forward with a whole new ‘normal’?

When I picture the two named World Wars, I do not immediately conjure images of Africa, so when reading the next section in Hew Strachan's book, The First World War, I found some of the African portions of the war to be interesting. ​By this time, the war is truly world-encompassing.  Nowhere is that more obvious than on the African continent. In 1914 the entire continent of Africa with the exception of Liberia and Ethiopia was under the rule of European powers, principally Britain, France, Belgium and Germany.  Of the other colonial powers in Africa, Spain, Italy and Portugal, and Spain remained neutral throughout the war, and Portugal entered the conflict in 1916 principally in order to secure international support for its shaky authority in Africa.

To many whites it seemed self-evident that the use of colonial troops to topple other European powers could only be self-destructive in the long term.  War would rekindle the very warrior traditions that colonialism had been designed to extirpate, and ultimately the black trained to use a rifle against a white enemy might turn his weapon on his own white ruler.

Smuts was determined that his campaign was going to prove the invincibility of the white man.  The South-West African campaign had been an affair of whites only.  When the 1915 mixed-race Africans had offered to rise in revolt in support of the South Africans, the later rejected their cooperation for racial reasons.

In the eighteenth century Britain and France had fought each other in India and America for the control of continents.  This was not why war came to Africa in 1914.  The powers did not fight to take territory.  Indeed, the most obvious immediate effects were to loosen the holds of empires.  Most whites in the colonies feared that the sight of Europeans fighting each other would promote rebellion and resistance.  Those fears could only grow as local administrators joined up, and as local forces turned from their policing function to that of confronting an external enemy.  But such fears proved exaggerated.